This article is part of our FantasyAces Football series.
Week 6 is in the books, and it turned out to be another great week of fantasy football. Congratulations to RossGrinderLee for winning the sixth qualifier for the FAFC.
Play again this week for your chance to be the next qualifier. Click here to see what you're playing for. (Hint: a chance to win a lot of money and a free vacation)
If you do not have a Fantasy Aces account, be sure to sign up and receive up to $250 of your deposit matched just for signing up. It's free money, so sign up now.
Not sure how to play at Fantasy Aces? We are here to help. Each week, RotoWire will offer advice on who to start in a given week, and give you that extra edge in your pursuit of a seat in Fantasy Aces' Fantasy Football Championship.
Format
At Fantasy Aces, the starting lineup requires two quarterbacks, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, two FLEX (running back, wide receiver, or tight end), a kicker and defense/special teams. You have a salary cap of $55,000 to create your team. Fantasy Aces understands that you may want to start Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, or Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski, and now you can. That's the beauty of playing daily fantasy football at Fantasy Aces, you can start the players you want.
The full scoring system can be found here, but essentially it is a standard scoring system for regular fantasy football with the only difference being half-point PPR (point per reception).
Strategy
Qualifying for a big tournament requires a different strategy than in other cash games. Of course, we are all still trying to get the most points possible, but in a GPP (guaranteed prize pool) you have to take some risks. If those risks hit, you are more likely to have a higher score than others, because these particular risks usually are players that are owned by a small amount of entrants.
How can we strategize to win a GPP? There are many approaches, and with Fantasy Aces' deep starting lineups, there is a lot of variance, which helps you in GPPs.
A few strategies to consider:
- Stacking: Starting more than two players from one team. This is usually used in daily fantasy football with the Broncos by selecting Peyton Manning along with his receivers/tight end. Bye weeks are underway, so be sure to keep an eye on that.
- Contrarian: Playing against the grain. For example, taking Isaiah Crowell last week despite him being the backup running back on the official depth chart.
- Studs and scrubs: We'll outline this strategy below. Going the studs-and-scrubs route entails finding a few players at low salary that could be good values, then using the rest of the money for big-time players like Manning or Jimmy Graham.
Without further ado, here are some suggested plays for Week 6. We will outline a stud and a scrub from each position that can help you get a seat at the FAFC.
Quarterback
Stud: Andrew Luck $7,600
Luck has been incredible this season, as he leads the NFL in passing yards, touchdowns and ranks second in passing attempts per game. On Fantasy Aces, Luck is the No. 1e quarterback in fantasy points per game, and he has multiple touchdowns in every game this season. Luck will look to continue that streak this week against the Bengals, who allowed almost 40 fantasy points to Cam Newton in Week 5. Two weeks ago, Tom Brady threw for just under 300 yards and two touchdowns against this same Bengals defense. Cincinnati is 25th in the NFL in allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks, and things won't get easier facing Luck, who has the most fantasy points of and player in the NFL.
Scrub: Carson Palmer $6,350
Palmer returned from injury last week, finsihing with 250 yards and two touchdowns against Washington. While the sample size is small, Palmer has produced in both of his starts this season. He's one of seven quarterbacks to average over 22 fantasy points per game, yet he is priced as QB19 on Fantasy Aces. He'll face off against a Raiders defense that typically allows a lot of fantasy production on the ground, but make no mistake, Oakland's pass defense is also vulnerable.
Running Back
Stud: DeMarco Murray $6,350
In cash games this season, it has almost become poor practice not to start Murray. He has 243 more rushing yards than Le'Veon Bell, who is second in the NFL in rushing. In addition, Murray has ran for six touchdowns, which also leads the NFL. In six games this season, Murray has averaged 21.78 fantasy points, and he hasn't dipped below 19 fantasy points yet, giving him an extremely high floor. As if he needed any more value, Murray has caught 12 passes in the last two weeks. This week, Murray faces a Giants defense that allowed LeSean McCoy to run for 149 yards on Sunday night. The Cowboys will likely be without starting right tackle Doug Free, but the rest of the offensive line is intact, and it has been invaluable to the Cowboys offense. Murray is worth every penny.
Scrub: Justin Forsett $4,800
The Ravens backfield has seemed impossible to predict this season, but Forsett definitely has the upper hand. Last week, he rushed for 111 yards on 14 carries. In total, Forsett has rushed for 408 yards and three touchdowns on just 64 carries. He is averaging 6.4 yards per carry, which is almost two yards more than the team average. Forsett will take on a Falcons that has allowed 12 rushing touchdowns and over 141 rushing yards per game. At $4,800, Forsett is a value against one of worst run defenses in the league.
Wide Receiver
Stud: Antonio Brown $6,150
Brown has cemented himself as one of the top options at wide receiver every week in daily fantasy football, and his price certainly indicates that. But he has been worth every penny. In Brown's last 22 games, he has caught a minimum of five passes. In those 22 contests, he has had less than 70 yards just four times. He's basically a look for double-digit points on Fantasy Aces each week. This season, Brown has 90 yards and/or a touchdown in all but one game, and he caught five passes for 84 yards in that lone exception. The Steelers will face the Texans, who have allowed the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL this season.
Scrub: Terrence Williams $4,550
Williams has 70 yards receiving or more in three straight games, and he is the leader in fantasy points per target among recievers with more than 25 targets this season. At just $4,550, he is considered a value play against the Giants. Last week, the Giants allowed Riley Cooper, the Eagles' No. 2 receiver, to catch a team-high five passes. In the week before, the Giants allowed Julio Jones to catch 11 passes for over 100 yards. Yes, Jones is the No. 1 wideout in Atlanta, but he plays on the same side as Riley Cooper in each teams' offense. As the next in line for targets behind Dez Bryant, Williams will receive plenty of secondary targets. Williams is one of the more efficient wide receivers and a solid bargain at his price.
Tight End
Scrub: Josh Hill $3,500
With the news that Jimmy Graham could be out for up to two weeks, Hill moves into the spotlight as the tight end to own in New Orleans. Even with Graham in the lineup, Hill was able to catch seven passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns in limited work. Hill is priced just $500 over the minimum on Fantasy Aces, so enter him into your lineups and you'll be rewarded with more cap room for other positions. The Saints face the Lions this week, who are 17th in the NFL in terms of allowing fantasy points to tight ends. Here's a look at what the Lions have allowed opposing tight ends to accomplish this year:
- Week 1: Larry Donnell – one touchdown
- Week 2: Greg Olsen - 72 yards on six catches
- Week 3: Andrew Quarless – one touchdown.
- Week 4: Jace Amaro - five catches for 58 yards
- Week 5: Chris Gragg – one touchdown
- Week 6: Chase Ford – four receptions for 37 yards
With the amount of targets that Brees allots to tight ends (74 on the season), Hill will see his fair share of the work. Considering that the Lions have allowed an opposing tight end to catch at least four passes or a touchdown in each game, Hill is a value play at $3,500.
Kicker
Cairo Santos $2,700
Defense/Special Teams
Stud: New England Patriots $3,400
Scrub: Minnesota Vikings $2,700
My Fantasy Aces Football Championship Lineup (GPP)
QB – Andrew Luck $7,600
QB – Tom Brady $6,950
RB – DeMarco Murray $6,350
RB – Justin Forsett $4,800
WR – Antonio Brown $6,150
WR – Golden Tate $5,150
TE – Josh Hill $3,500
FLEX – Travis Kelce $4,200
FLEX – Jordan Reed $4,750
K – Cairo Santos $2,700
DST – Minnesota Vikings $2,700
My Cash Games Lineup (H2H and 50/50)
QB – Teddy Bridgewater $5,500
QB – Kyle Orton $5,600
RB – DeMarco Murray $6,350
RB – Justin Forsett $4,800
WR – Antonio Brown $6,150
WR – Julio Jones $6,100
TE – Greg Olsen $4,850
FLEX – Jerick McKinnon $4,450
FLEX – Shane Vereen $4,550
K – Chandler Catanzaro $3,150
DST – New England Patriots $3,400
